It is strange that the South Africa series is being considered as the beginning of India’s journey towards finding their perfect 15 for World T20 next year. The Virat Kohli-led Indian team are already a series old in the cycle, and hence the impending series, which marks the beginning of their packed home season, will provide a fresh perspective to the captain on whom to back in the three-game series. India stand outright favourites against the embattled South African side in the series that begins with the opener at picturesque Dharamsala, but it will be Kohli’s choices and India’s experimentation which will be the key factor in the contest.
India have two prolific batting options in Dhawan and Rahul to accompany Rohit at the top of the order, but have suffered a considerable dip in their performance of late. For Dhawan, his return from the thumb injury he incurred during World Cup 2019, hasn’t been impressive enough. He managed only 27 runs in the T20I series against West Indies and put together 39 runs in the ODIs. Rahul featured in only one T20I game in the Caribbeans and scored 20.
